"Hiss—!"
Lillian sucked in a sharp breath, the bone-deep pain of flesh tearing spreading through him with every puff of white breath.
"Grr… grr!"
The wolf's sharp teeth hadn't fully bitten through his arm yet. Lillian punched at it with his free hand, but the beast was agile, dodging several blows.
"Die!"
Krista scrambled to her feet and stabbed toward the wolf's abdomen—but Ymir was faster. She kicked the wolf first, then plunged her dagger straight into its left eye!
The instant pain made it release its grip. Lillian staggered as the tearing force vanished, nearly falling, but Krista caught him in time.
Ymir then pounced again, looking even more feral than the wolf itself, and finished it with a final stab to the skull.
Three wolf corpses lay in the snow.
Ymir pulled out her dagger, blood spraying. She turned back and glanced at Lillian's mangled arm, pressing her lips together.
Krista wiped her tears and pulled cloth from her pack to bandage him.
"I'm sorry… I'm sorry…" she kept repeating, hands shaking uncontrollably.
Ymir sighed, crouched down, and took the bandages from her. "I'll do it."
Krista covered her face, overwhelmed with guilt. "It's all my fault…"
"It's not your fault," Lillian said through clenched teeth, forcing a grin. "Blame those wolves instead. Hey! Ymir, be gentler—this really hurts!"
"Sorry, sorry," Ymir said. "First time patching someone up." She glanced at him, unusually without sarcasm. "Tch… didn't expect it. You're actually pretty reliable."
"…"
Lillian looked deeply at her.
That was close.
He had seen it—Ymir was about to cut her hand and transform. If he hadn't blocked the bite himself, she would definitely have turned into a Titan to save Krista.
That would have been disastrous.
Her secret couldn't be exposed now. Once revealed, she wouldn't be able to stay in the training corps, and the entire storyline would change.
"I'm sorry, Lillian…" Krista still couldn't forgive herself. "Just now I… I was going to—"
"You wanted to die, didn't you?" Ymir suddenly said.
She had noticed—after Krista fell, she had stopped resisting. She could've blocked with the dagger, but she did nothing.
"… "
Krista wanted to lie, but somehow she couldn't speak. Even with excuses ready, no words came. She silently admitted it.
Ymir glanced at Lillian, as if confirming something, then continued:
"When I was stealing money and food to survive in the inner church, I heard something dangerous."
With every word, Krista's face grew paler. She clutched Lillian's clothes tightly but didn't stop Ymir.
"I heard people discussing how the child of a concubine had become an heir of high status. Someone suggested they should just kill her," Ymir said. "But if that child was willing to change her name and live in hiding… they'd spare her life."
Lillian looked at Krista.
She lowered her head in silence.
"So," Ymir continued, "that girl who hid her identity… she became a trainee soldier. Don't worry—I've never told anyone about this, and I'd never sell it as valuable information."
Lillian thought to himself: I didn't expect Ymir to reveal this in front of me.
Does this mean… she can somewhat trust me?
After all, Krista's identity is crucial. Even as a concubine's child, she's still "royalty," carrying the family name "Reiss."
And being royalty isn't just a fancy title—they possess power capable of changing the world.
Krista lifted her head, eyes wide with curiosity and doubt. "So… you became a trainee soldier just to find me? Why?"
Ymir's pupils constricted slightly, a flash of memory lighting her eyes, but it vanished almost immediately.
"I don't know… maybe because our backgrounds are similar."
"Just… for that?"
"I'm not sure either."
Ymir's expression was restrained, even slightly displeased. Her brows were furrowed. She had just finished patching Lillian's wound, but the bandage was only a temporary fix—the blood soon soaked through it.
Noticing her inner struggle, Lillian suddenly asked, "If your background is similar to Krista's… did you hide your identity too?"
"No!" Ymir snapped, almost explosively. Lillian's words seemed to trigger her emotions. She stood abruptly, glaring at Krista with intensity. "I'm not like you. I only happened to gain a second life, and I never hid my name. If I deny the name 'Ymir,' I'm denying the meaning of my own existence!"
"I refuse to give in. I'll live my life under this name—that's my revenge. And compared to me… what are you?" she demanded. "If you die, that's it? Wouldn't that only please the people who hate you? If you have the courage to die, why not use that courage to change your own fate?!"
"I…"
Krista wavered, her pale face etched with pain.
"Even the sharp-tongued woman can say something reasonable," Lillian suddenly said, addressing the sorrowful Krista. "But I won't try to persuade you. I don't know what's happened to you, but… running away doesn't solve anything."
He looked at the wolf corpses scattered across the snow. "Even they struggle to survive, mindless as they are. So why should we give up so easily, as humans?"
The snowfall began to lighten, and the wind softened.
"Many times… if we endure a little longer, maybe we'll see a completely different view," he said. Following his gaze, both girls could make out a warm, dim light in the distance, like a beacon beckoning them.